Saleh condemned attempts to draw Iraq into an armed confrontation

08.01.2020 17:50

Share

Iraqi President Barham Saleh condemned Iran’s missile strikes on Iraqi territory, as well as any attempts to draw Iraq into regional conflicts in violation of the country’s sovereignty, according to a statement released on Wednesday by the presidential office.

“The head of state is following the latest developments in the region with the utmost concern and condemns the Iranian rocket attack on military facilities in Iraq. The President does not accept the repeated violation of national sovereignty and the transformation of Iraq into an arena of war between the warring parties”, – the statement said.

The President also noted that the question of the presence of foreign troops on the territory of the country should be decided exclusively by Baghdad.

On Wednesday night, the Iranian revolutionary guard Corps announced the beginning of a retribution operation for the murder of General Qasem Suleimani. The surface-to-surface missiles were fired from Iran at the Ein al-Assad base in Western Iraq and the base in Erbil, where the US army is stationed. Iran’s Press TV says 80 people were killed. Us President Donald trump said after the attack that “All is well!” Fox News reported, citing sources, that, according to preliminary information, there are no victims among the Americans.

The IRGC has previously called on the US to withdraw its troops from the Middle East in order to avoid large casualties.